Times Live
28th May 2011
Zimbabwe”s return to Test cricket in early August faces a major examination next month against powerful teams from Australia and South Africa.
Australia are due to send two A-team squads, one for a series of four-day Test games and another for a limited-overs triangular tournament also involving South Africa.
The Australian four-day squad contains six Test players in skipper Tim Paine, spinners Michael Beer and Jason Krejza, fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus and batsmen Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes.
The one-day squad includes several players with international experience, among them big-hitting opener David Warner.
Zimbabwe”s return to the international Test fold follows intense lobbying by Zimbabwean cricket officials and a softening of attitudes by Australia and New Zealand towards the country.
The matches against South Africa and Australia will be followed by a single Test in August against Bangladesh and five one-day internationals against the same team. It will be Zimbabwe”s first Test match since 2005.
David Coltart, the Zimbabwe Sports Minister, visited Australia and New Zealand some time ago and pleaded with their cricket authorities to renew ties with Zimbabwe. However, not everyone agrees that Zimbabwe should be allowed back into international cricket.
Norman Arendse, a former president of Cricket South Africa, said recently that lifting the boycott was not yet warranted. Under Arendse”s administration, South Africa broke ties with Zimbabwe cricket following violence by the President Robert Mugabe regime against political opponents during the last general elections in 2008.
Arendse said: “When Cricket SA decided to suspend relations, we were witnessing people being beaten in the streets of Harare. Given South Africa”s history, to continue playing cricket seemed hypocritical. And being an informed person on human rights issues I doubt anything has changed.”
But Coltart said the upcoming tours would build political bridges and help national pride “as done by South Africa post-1994”.
New Zealand made an unofficial A-team tour to Zimbabwe in October last year. It was the first contact on the field between the two countries since 2005.
Cricket Australia has helped Zimbabwean cricketers over the years despite the political blackout, taking several members of the team to the high-performance centre in Melbourne for skills development.
During the troubled 2003 World Cup, following the warnings of then Australian Prime Minister John Howard, the Aussies reluctantly went ahead with a match in Bulawayo after a request to move the group-stage clash was denied. There have been no matches between Australia and Zimbabwe since.
English cricket”s boycott of Zimbabwe is still in place.
For Australia, the tour to Zimbabwe offers Hilfenhaus the chance to reassert his Test credentials ahead of a tour to Sri Lanka. Hilfenhaus faces a challenge from rising fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
South Africa”s team, to be captained by veteran Jacques Rudolph, includes stars Vernon Philander, Dean Elgar, Loots Bosman, Ryan McLaren, Rusty Theron and Roelof van der Merwe.
Zimbabwe are expected to name their team this week after two weeks of intensive training in Harare and Bulawayo with a provisional team of 40 players.
Some of the players in Bulawayo have been working with bowling coach Heath Streak, and those in Harare with batting coach Grant Flower and coaches Robin Brown, Andy Waller and Kevin Curran.
Zimbabwe”s coach Alan Butcher has emphasised the need for pace bowlers in the team. “We are working with about 14 fast and medium-fast bowlers, hoping that they will be fine-tuned to get them ready for the Test matches. In the limited-over games we would get away with playing three or four spinners and one fast bowler, but for the Tests we will need more fast bowlers.
“We have a number of young bowlers whom we have brought in and we will have to fast-track some of them so that they are ready for our first Test against Bangladesh.
“It is a big challenge and Test matches are more challenging, but we are confident we can get them ready well in time.”
TOURING SIDES:
South Africa A: Jacques Rudolph (capt), Craig Alexander, Farhaan Behardien, Loots Bosman, Dean Elgar, Rory Kleinveldt, Heino Kuhn, Ethy Mbhalati, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Vernon Philander, Rusty Theron, Roelof van der Merwe, Jonathan Vandiar and Morne van Wyk.
Australia A one-day squad: Tim Paine (capt), Callum Ferguson, Luke Butterworth, Trent Copeland, James Faulkner, Ben Hilfenhaus, Aaron Finch, Nathan Lyon, Chris Lynn, Nic Maddinson, Mitch Marsh, Mitch Starc, Stephen O”Keefe and David Warner.
Australia four-day squad: Tim Paine (capt), Callum Ferguson, Michael Beer, Luke Butterworth, Trent Copeland, James Faulkner, Ben Hilfenhaus, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza, Nic Maddinson, Phillip Hughes, Mitch Marsh, Mitch Starc and David Warner.